Best Summer Camps For Kids In Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - It's that time again, time to start planning your son or daughter's summertime activities. If you have never taken a look at some of the great summer camps available in Colorado, then your child is really missing out on memories to last a lifetime. There are traditional camps, with plenty of hiking and nature-based activities or some less traditional camps based on things like science or archaeology. No matter what your child is interested in, there is sure to be a camp perfectly tailored to his or her needs, and you will even get a full week's vacation from parenting while your kids have the time of their lives.

Cheley Colorado Camps
Estes Park Valley, CO
(970) 586-4244
www.Cheley.com
For kids seeking education, adventure, and sports, Camp Cheley intertwines all of that. This camp is all about fun and physical challenge while allowing kids to connect to nature. At one of Colorado's top rated summer camps, campers are given the opportunity to go out of their comfort zone and try new things like river rafting, target sports, and solo out-camping. This educational and adventurous camp experience will give your child the summer of a lifetime.

Avid4 Adventure
Boulder, CO
(800) 977-9873
www.Avid4.com
At Avid4 Adventure Camps, kids get the traditional experience of campfires and silly songs, but also thrilling outdoor adventure. The camp calls Mt. Evans and Windy Peaks home, and focuses on empowering campers to build confidence and good judgement. What sets this camp apart is their top-notch staff that hold a range of safety certifications, and their dedication to creating an inclusive environment from children and teens of all backgrounds that prioritizes kindness and respect.

Roundup River Ranch
Gypsum, CO
(970) 524-2267
www.RoundUpRiverRanch.org
This summer camp offers a unique experience for campers with serious illnesses. Through laughter, adventure, art-creating, and exploring nature, kids get to create lasting friendships and just be kids. There's zip-lining, a climbing wall, canoes, fishing, horses, archery, dancing, stages, and star-gazing at this camp nestled in the Colorado mountains. Kids build confidence through exuberant play and find the courage to try new things that they didn't thing were possible. Another thing that makes this camp so amazing is it's free of charge for campers and their families!

Eagle Lake Camps
Colorado Springs, CO
(719) 472-1260
www.EagleLakeCamps.com
Experience the Rocky Mountains with this overnight camp boasting programs from ages 8-18. For preteens that just want to have fun and make new friends, the (REZ)ident camp program is perfect for that. With a focus on team-building, this program has themes, costumes, games, and outdoor free time. Their Excursions Camp is for older teens that seek to explore the wilderness and includes hiking, mountain biking, rappelling, tunneling, and backpacking. This camp is a good idea if you have children with a gap in age and interests.

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Cortez, CO
(970) 565-8975
www.CrowCanyon.org
If your son or daughter has an interest in history and archaeology, this is the perfect camp for them. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is designed specifically to give your child hands-on experience with archaeological research and collaboration with American Indians. With lots of great field trips, activities and discussions, history-loving kids will have a blast at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. The week-long camps are designed for either middle school or high school age kids, and scholarships are available.

iD Tech Camp
University of Denver
(877) 479-3826
www.iDTech.com
What are you to do if your child is more into science than hiking? Check out the iD Tech Camps. This great camp takes your child to the University of Denver campus and has him or her spend time learning all about great technical interests. For over 20 years, this program has offered forward-thinking classes on creating iPhone and Android apps, Java, C++, video games, websites and even robots, there is something for every child and every interest. Your child will stay in college dorms, eat in the university dining hall and tour the college campus to get a great idea of what going to college life will really be like.

The original version of this article appeared on CBSDenver.com in 2013 and was written by Deborah Flomberg at Examiner.